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REVIEW ARTICLE/BRIEF REVIEW
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine on postoperative shivering:a meta-analysis of clinical trials
Efficacité de la dexmédétomidine pour contrôler les frissonspostopératoires: une méta-analyse d’études cliniques
Zhen-Xiu Liu, BSc • Feng-Ying Xu, BSc • Xiao Liang, BSc • Miao Zhou, BSc •
Liang Wu, BSc • Jing-Ru Wu, MD • Jian-Hua Xia, MD • Zui Zou, MD
Received: 23 June 2014 / Accepted: 18 March 2015 / Published online: 8 April 2015
� Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society 2015
Abstract
Purpose Shivering is a frequent complication in the
postoperative period. The aim of the current meta-analysis
was to assess the efficacy of dexmedetomidine on
postoperative shivering.
Methods Two researchers independently searched
PubMed, EMBASETM and the Cochrane Central Register
of Controlled Trials for controlled clinical trials. The meta-
analysis was performed by Review Manager.
Results Thirty-nine trials with 2,478 patients were
included in this meta-analysis. Dexmedetomidine reduced
postoperative shivering compared with placebo (risk ratio
[RR] = 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20 to 0.34),
with a minimum effective dose of 0.5 lg�kg-1 (RR = 0.36;95% CI: 0.21 to 0.60). The anti-shivering effect can be
achieved both intravenously and epidurally when
administered within two hours prior to the end of
surgery. The efficacy of dexmedetomidine was similar to
widely used anti-shivering agents, such as fentanyl,
meperidine, tramadol, clonidine and so on; however,
dexmedetomidine may increase the incidence of sedation,
hypotension, bradycardia and dry mouth.
Conclusions The present meta-analysis indicates that
dexmedetomidine shows superiority over placebo, but not
over other anti-shivering agents. Therefore, considering its
high price and potential adverse events, dexmedetomidine
may not be appropriate solely for the purpose of the
prevention of postoperative shivering.
Résumé
Objectif Les frissons sont une complication fréquente en
période postopératoire. L’objectif de cette méta-analyse
était d’évaluer l’efficacité de la dexmédétomidine pour
contrôler les frissons postopératoires.
Author contributions Zhen-Xiu Liu, Feng-Ying Xu, Xiao Liang,and Zui Zou were involved in the study design. Feng-Ying Xu, Jian-Hua Xia, and Zui Zou were involved in the study conduct. Zhen-XiuLiu, Feng-Ying Xu, Xiao Liang, Jing-Ru Wu, Miao Zhou, and LiangWu were involved in data retrieval and analysis. Zhen-Xiu Liu, Feng-Ying Xu, and Zui Zou were involved in writing the paper.
Zhen-Xiu Liu, Feng-Ying Xu, Xiao Liang contributed equally to this
work.
Z.-X. Liu, BSc � M. Zhou, BSc � L. Wu, BSc � J.-R. Wu, MD �Z. Zou, MD
Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou
Medical College, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
Z.-X. Liu, BSc � M. Zhou, BSc � L. Wu, BSc � J.-R. Wu, MD �Z. Zou, MD
Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia
Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou,
People’s Republic of China
Z.-X. Liu, BSc � J.-H. Xia, MD (&)Department of Anesthesiology, No. 411 Hospital of PLA,
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
e-mail: [email protected]
F.-Y. Xu, BSc � Z. Zou, MD (&)Department of Anesthesiology, Changzheng Hospital,
Second Military Medical University, Shanghai,
People’s Republic of China
e-mail: [email protected]
X. Liang, BSc
Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated People’s Hospital of
Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People’s Republic of China
123
Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth (2015) 62:816–829
DOI 10.1007/s12630-015-0368-1
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12630-015-0368-1&domain=pdfhttp://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12630-015-0368-1&domain=pdf
Méthode Deux chercheurs ont analysé de façon
indépendante les bases de données PubMed, EMBASETM
et le registre central d’études contrôlées Cochrane
(Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) pour en
extraire les études cliniques contrôlées pertinentes. La
méta-analyse a été réalisée avec Review Manager.
Résultats Trente-neuf études comportant un total de
2478 patients ont été incluses dans cette méta-analyse. La
dexmédétomidine a réduit les frissons postopératoires par
rapport au placebo (risque relatif [RR] = 0,26; intervalle
de confiance [IC] 95 % : 0,20 à 0,34), avec une dose
efficace minimum de 0,5 lg�kg-1 (RR = 0,36; IC 95 % :0,21 à 0,60). L’effet anti-frissons peut être obtenu par voie
intraveineuse et péridurale lorsque l’agent est administré
dans les deux heures précédant la fin de la chirurgie.
L’efficacité de la dexmédétomidine était semblable à celle
d’agents anti-frissons fréquemment utilisés tels que le
fentanyl, la mépéridine, le tramadol et la clonidine;
toutefois, la dexmédétomidine pourrait augmenter
l’incidence de sédation, d’hypotension, de bradycardie et
de sécheresse buccale.
Conclusion Cette méta-analyse indique que la
dexmédétomidine démontre une supériorité par rapport
au placebo, mais pas par rapport à d’autres agents
anti-frissons. Par conséquent, au vu de son prix élevé et de
ses effets secondaires néfastes potentiels, la
dexmédétomidine peut ne pas être appropriée si le seul
but est de prévenir les frissons postopératoires.
Shivering is a physiological response of the body for heat
preservation through peripheral vasoconstriction and
involuntary skeletal muscle contractions.1 Despite the
benefits from reducing heat loss, shivering increases the
patients’ oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production,
and energy expenditure,2 and it may cause severe adverse
effects during the recovery from general anesthesia,
especially in patients with impaired cardiac and
pulmonary reserves. Moreover, for awake patients,
shivering is an uncomfortable experience, sometimes
even worse than surgical pain.3 Effective prevention and
treatment of shivering has become an essential step in
increasing postoperative comfort and reducing shivering-
related complications. Currently used anti-shivering agents
are restricted by their side effects. For example, meperidine
may induce nausea, vomiting, and respiratory depression,4
and patients receiving ketamine5 frequently experience
hypertension and tachycardia.
Dexmedetomidine is a potent and highly selective
a2-adrenoceptor agonist with sympatholytic, sedative,amnestic,6 and analgesic7 properties. Clinical researchers
have already studied the administration of
dexmedetomidine to prevent shivering. Nevertheless,
controversy about the effectiveness of dexmedetomidine
for the prevention of shivering is still ongoing, with
different results reported in associated literature. In our
view, a quantitative analysis on a consolidation of the
related data was needed, and therefore, we conducted the
present meta-analysis in order to assess the relative merits
regarding the anti-shivering effect of dexmedetomidine.
Methods
This meta-analysis of controlled trials evaluates the effect
of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on postoperative
shivering and was performed according to the
recommendations of the PRISMA statement.
Search strategy
Two authors (L.Z.X and X.F.Y.) systematically searched
PubMed, EMBASETM and the Cochrane Central Register
of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The search strategy
comprised the following key words: (dexmedetomidine)
and (shivering, shiver, tremor, shaking, or anti-shivering)
and (postoperative, operation, surgery, anesthesia, or
anaesthesia). The literature search was updated on
August 30, 2014 with no language limitation. The
reference lists of the reviews, original reports, and case
reports (retrieved through the electronic searches) were
checked to identify studies that had not yet been included
in the computerized databases.
Study selection and data retrieval
The study selection criteria were pre-established. Inclusion
criteria included: (1) controlled clinical trials; (2)
intraoperative administration of dexmedetomidine; and
(3) the reported presence or absence of shivering.
Exclusion criteria included: (1) abstracts only; (2)
patients with severe cerebrovascular disease or other
contradictions for dexmedetomidine; (3) duplications; (4)
missing data; and (5) incorrect statistical analysis
performed in the report. The data retrieval included:
name of the first author, publication year, funding,
interventions, patients and operations, type of anesthesia,
length of surgery, number of shivering cases and total
patients, randomization, blinding, allocation concealment,
withdrawal, body temperature, and side effects such as
nausea, vomiting, and hypotension. Two authors (L.Z.X.
and X.F.Y.) independently assessed the articles for
compliance with the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Any
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for postoperative shivering 817
123
disagreement during the process of meta-analysis was
resolved by discussion among all authors.
Qualitative assessment
Two authors (L.X. and Z.M.) independently evaluated the
quality of the trials according to the guidelines
recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration.8 Six
categories were evaluated, with the first three considered
as ‘‘key domains’’ (randomization and sequence
generation, allocation concealment, blinding method,
incomplete outcome data, selective outcome reporting,
and other sources of bias). Each category was summarized
into three levels: low risk, unclear risk, and high risk. The
risk of bias of a particular study was assessed in relation to
the three key domains: LOW (low risk of bias for all key
domains); UNCLEAR (unclear risk of bias for one or more
key domains); and HIGH (high risk of bias for one or more
key domains).
Statistical analysis
The effect of dexmedetomidine on postoperative shivering
compared with placebo or other anti-shivering drugs was
estimated by calculating the pooled risk ratio (RR) and its
95% confidence intervals (CI) of the incidence of
shivering. The overall effect was determined by a Z-test.
All reported P values are two sided. A fixed effects model
was used when I2 B 50%, otherwise a random effects
model was adopted. Sensitivity analysis was performed to
test the robustness of the results by re-analyzing the data
after excluding the high-risk studies. Subgroup analyses
were based on the types of anesthesia, the doses and routes
administered, and the A-E interval (defined as the time
interval from the last administration to the end of the
operation. Two-hour duration was used as the cut-off point,
because the half-life of dexmedetomidine is about two
hours).9 Begg’s test was conducted to assess potential
publication bias. Statistical analysis was performed with
Review Manager (RevMan version 5.3; Cochrane
Collaboration, Oxford, UK) and Stata� version 12.0
(Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA).
Results
Study selection
As shown in the flow diagram (Fig. 1), the search of
PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and the reference lists
yielded 237 articles. Initially, 166 trials were discarded
because they were not controlled trials according to the
titles, and after reviewing the abstracts, an additional 21
trials were excluded as they were not relevant to our study.
We could not retrieve the full texts of three10-12 of the
remaining 50 papers despite attempting electronic retrieval
interlibrary loan or contacting the authors. After carefully
reading 47 papers, we excluded eight with no related
endpoints. Finally, 39 trials3,9,13-49 met the selection
criteria and were included in the meta-analysis.
Study characteristic
Twenty-two of the included studies explored the efficacy of
intraoperative dexmedetomidine compared with place-
bo.3,9,13-32 Other control agents included fentanyl,33-36 remifen-
tanyl,37,38 meperidine,15 midazolam,39-41 propofol,43,44
ketamine,45,46 tramadol,24,47 clonidine,42 propacetamol,48 and
buprenorphine49 (Table 1). Twenty studies reported the side
effects, including sedation,4,13,22,28,31 nausea,9,14,20,22,23,27,29,30
vomiting,14,22,23 bradycardia,17,20,23,26-28,30-32 hypoten-
sion20,23,26-28,30,32 and dry mouth.14,22,23 Only eight of the
included articles clearly mentioned the funding status, five of
which3,21,22,35,37 were supported by an institutional foundation,
and three studies23,44,47 declared no financial support.
The methodological quality of the included studies
Thirty3,13,14,16,19-21,23,24,26-33,35-38,40-44,46-49 of the 39 includ-
ed trials provided a detailed description of randomization.
Odd/even admission number was used in the process of ran-
domization in three trials.9,25,45 Twenty-nine
trials3,9,13,14,16,19,21,23,27-31,33-38,41-44,47-49 reported allocation
concealment, and 27 studies39,13,14,16,19,24,25,27-35,37-42,44,47-49
were double-blinded. No incomplete outcomes (attrition
bias)8 were reported in the 39 included trials, and all
studies reported every endpoint mentioned in the Methods
section (reporting bias).8 however, some bias8 may exist in
of the two trials,27,32 as the length of surgery was not clear.
An overview of the risk of bias is summarized in Fig. 2.
Results of the meta-analysis
Dexmedetomidine versus placebo
Twenty-two trials3,9,13-32 including 1,415 patients inves-
tigated the anti-shivering efficacy of dexmedetomidine
compared with placebo. The incidence of postoperative
shivering in the dexmedetomidine group was significantly
lower than in the placebo group (34.2% vs 8.6%,
respectively; pooled RR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.34)
(Fig. 3). Begg’s test suggested no significant publication
bias (P = 0.128) in this comparison between
dexmedetomidine and placebo.
Furthermore, dexmedetomidine can significantly reduce
postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) compared with
818 Z.-X. Liu et al.
123
placebo (data not shown). Nevertheless, compared with
placebo, dexmedetomidine increased the probability of
sedation (pooled RR of five trials: 2.94; 95% CI: 2.18 to
3.98), bradycardia (pooled RR of nine trials: 2.39; 95% CI:
1.54 to 3.72), hypotension (pooled RR of seven trials: 1.35;
95% CI: 1.04 to 1.75), and dry mouth (pooled RR of three
trials: 7.33; 95% CI: 2.28 to 23.58) (Table 2).
Subgroup analyses were carried out to evaluate the
factors that affected postoperative shivering.
Types of anesthesia Dexmedetomidine significantly
reduced the incidence of shivering in general anesthesia
(pooled RR of 12 trials:3,13-23 0.26; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.34)
and regional anesthesia (pooled RR of ten trials:9,24-32 0.27;
95% CI: 0.16 to 0.45) (Fig. 3). The most common
dexmedetomidine dosage was 1.0 lg�kg–1, so we chosethis group in one trial.1
The A-E interval The incidence of shivering in groups
with an A-E interval less than two hours was reduced by
dexmedetomidine (pooled RR of 18 trials: 0.24; 95% CI:
0.19 to 0.32) compared with placebo (Fig. 4); however,
only one trial30 was conducted with an A-E interval more
than two hours in which no statistical difference in the
incidence of shivering could be found between
dexmedetomidine and placebo (P = 0.64).
Dose of dexmedetomidine Subgroup analysis suggested a
beneficial effect of a single-dose bolus of 0.5 lg�kg-1dexmedetomidine compared with placebo (pooled RR of
three trials: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.60). A sensitivity analysis
to remove a high-risk study21 (high risk of bias for one or
more key domains, refer to Methods section) showed a similar
result favouring dexmedetomidine (pooled RR = 0.52; 95%
CI: 0.31 to 0.87) and decreased heterogeneity (I2 from 73%
to 42%). One trial19 presented that 0.75 lg�kg-1dexmedetomidine reduced the incidence of shivering with a
reported P value of 0.002. A subgroup of dexmedetomidine
1.0 lg�kg-1 also reduced the incidence of shivering (pooledRR of six trials: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.37) (Fig. 5).
Routes of administration Dexmedetomidine injected
intravenously (pooled RR of 17 trials: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.18
to 0.31) or into the epidural space (pooled RR of three trials:
0.28; 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.72) lowered the incidence of
shivering; however, two trials evaluating dexmedetomidine
injected into the subarachnoid space showed no difference
compared with placebo (pooled RR = 1.57; 95% CI: 0.45 to
5.54) (Fig. 6). Sensitivity analysis was performed excluding
the article30 with an A-E interval more than two hours (no
difference from placebo) to minimize heterogeneity. A
similar result favouring dexmedetomidine was found
(pooled RR = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.52) with almost no
heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 0%).
Fig. 1 Flow diagram of theinclusion and exclusion process
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for postoperative shivering 819
123
Table
1C
har
acte
rist
ics
of
the
incl
ud
edtr
ials
Stu
dy
Yea
rp
atie
nts
Ty
pe
of
anes
thes
ia
Tim
eC
om
par
iso
ns
To
tal
Ev
ent
Mea
no
r
med
ian
of
surg
ery
tim
e(m
in.)
Mea
n
tem
per
atu
re
of
the
end
of
surg
ery
(�C
)
Fu
nd
ing
Ald
ehay
at13
20
11
adu
lts
GA
Ed
exm
edet
om
idin
e1
.0lg
�kg-
1iv
35
41
52
--
pla
ceb
oiv
35
16
14
0-
Baj
wa1
42
01
2ad
ult
sG
AM
dex
med
eto
mid
ine
1.0
lg�k
g-
1iv
40
25
93
6.4
pla
ceb
oiv
40
17
58
36
.2
Bic
er15
20
06
adu
lts
GA
Ed
exm
edet
om
idin
e1
.0lg
�kg-
1iv
40
61
15
35
.7-
mep
erid
ine
0.5
mg�k
g-
1iv
40
41
02
35
.8
pla
ceb
oiv
40
22
98
35
.8
Elv
an16
20
08
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
40
77
83
5.8
-
pla
ceb
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40
21
82
36
Gao
17
20
12
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
24
0-
--
no
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tmen
t2
46
--
Jalo
nen
18
19
97
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
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40
13
18
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23
18
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aman
32
01
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ult
sG
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edet
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30
36
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19
20
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30
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11
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ine
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30
41
06
35
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ine
1.0
lg�k
g-
1iv
30
51
05
35
.9
pla
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30
19
10
93
6
Lee
20
20
13
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lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
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28
21
41
36
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29
17
14
1.6
36
.1
Li2
12
01
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ult
sG
AP
dex
med
eto
mid
ine
0.5
lg�k
g-
1iv
40
0-
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pla
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40
12
--
Wu
22
20
13
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lts
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Pd
exm
edet
om
idin
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�kg-
1iv
40
39
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23
20
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25
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10
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eto
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ine
0.5
lg�k
g-
1iv
30
14
43
6.3
3
pla
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23
6.5
8
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sku
ner
25
20
07
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lts
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L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
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30
08
1-
-
pla
ceb
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30
48
6-
820 Z.-X. Liu et al.
123
Table
1co
nti
nu
ed
Stu
dy
Yea
rp
atie
nts
Ty
pe
of
anes
thes
ia
Tim
eC
om
par
iso
ns
To
tal
Ev
ent
Mea
no
r
med
ian
of
surg
ery
tim
e(m
in.)
Mea
n
tem
per
atu
re
of
the
end
of
surg
ery
(�C
)
Fu
nd
ing
Din
esh
26
20
14
adu
lts
SA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
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50
0-
--
pla
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50
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-
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pta
27
20
11
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lts
SA
Id
exm
edet
om
idin
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A5lg
30
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--
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20
14
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lts
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51
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29
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20
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lts
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12
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20
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lts
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L?
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30
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30
57
3-
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a31
20
11
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lts
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Md
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30
36
53
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pla
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30
17
68
36
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22
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ult
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dex
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mid
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SA
2lg
20
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20
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20
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42
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EA
1.0
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15
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15
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20
12
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Id
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idin
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1iv
20
13
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0.5
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1iv
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23
5-
Tu
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t36
20
08
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
25
62
16
--
fen
tan
yliv
25
11
22
9-
Jun
g37
20
11
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
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om
idin
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25
39
8-
rem
ifen
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25
09
7-
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Tu
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t38
20
09
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lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
25
72
16
--
rem
ifen
tan
iliv
25
13
22
9-
Erk
ola
39
19
94
adu
lts
GA
Pd
exm
edet
om
idin
e2
.5lg
�kg-
1im
60
6-
--
mid
azo
lam
0.0
8lg
�kg-
1im
61
31
--
Ko
ruk
40
20
10
chil
dre
nG
AI
dex
med
eto
mid
ineiv
21
01
6.1
--
mid
azo
lam
iv2
54
17
-
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for postoperative shivering 821
123
Table
1co
nti
nu
ed
Stu
dy
Yea
rp
atie
nts
Ty
pe
of
anes
thes
ia
Tim
eC
om
par
iso
ns
To
tal
Ev
ent
Mea
no
r
med
ian
of
surg
ery
tim
e(m
in.)
Mea
n
tem
per
atu
re
of
the
end
of
surg
ery
(�C
)
Fu
nd
ing
Sh
eta4
12
01
4ch
ild
ren
GA
Pd
exm
edet
om
idin
eIN
1.0
lg�k
g-
13
69
11
2-
-
mid
azo
lam
IN0
.2l
g�k
g-
13
63
10
8-
Baj
wa4
22
01
1ad
ult
sE
AI
dex
med
eto
mid
ine
EA
1.5
lg�k
g-
12
52
96
--
clo
nid
ine
EA
2.0
lg�k
g-
12
51
10
0-
To
sun
43
20
06
chil
dre
nG
AL?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
22
04
0-
-
pro
po
foliv
22
14
5-
Mo
usa
44
20
13
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
20
32
16
-N
o
pro
po
foliv
20
92
14
-
Ko
ruk
45
20
10
chil
dre
nG
AI
dex
med
eto
mid
ine
1.0
lg�k
g-
1iv
91
57
--
ket
amin
e0
.5m
g�k
g-
1iv
90
48
-
Sh
anre
ai46
20
12
adu
lts
GA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
30
1-
-
ket
amin
eiv
30
0-
-
Mit
tal4
72
01
4ad
ult
sS
AE
dex
med
eto
mid
ine
0.5
lg�k
g-
1iv
25
1-
-N
o
tram
ado
l0
.5m
g�k
g-
1iv
25
2-
-
Go
me-
Vaz
qu
ez48
20
07
adu
lts
EA
L?
Md
exm
edet
om
idin
eiv
15
05
5-
-
pro
pac
etam
oliv
15
45
0-
Gu
pta
49
20
14
adu
lts
SA
Id
exm
edet
om
idin
eS
A5lg
30
59
5-
-
bu
pre
no
rph
ine
SA
60lg
30
29
2-
GA
=g
ener
alan
esth
esia
;S
A=
spin
alan
esth
esia
;E
A=
epid
ura
lan
esth
esia
;IM
=in
tram
usc
ula
r;IN
=in
tran
asal
;P=
pre
op
erat
ive;
I=
ind
uct
ion
;E=
end
;L?
M=
load
ing
and
mai
nte
nan
ce
�T
he
inst
itu
tio
nal
and
/or
dep
artm
enta
lso
urc
es
`N
atu
ral
Sci
ence
Fo
un
dat
ion
of
Hei
lon
gji
ang
Pro
vin
ce(D
20
08
57
)
´N
atu
ral
Sci
ence
Fo
un
dat
ion
of
Gu
ang
do
ng
Pro
vin
ce(2
01
0Y
05
)
ˆR
atch
adap
isek
So
mp
och
Fu
nd
of
Ch
ula
lon
gk
orn
Un
iver
sity
,B
ang
ko
k,
Th
aila
nd
(RA
57
/53
)
˜2
01
0R
esea
rch
Fu
nd
fro
mth
eR
esea
rch
Inst
itu
teo
fM
edic
alS
cien
ce,
St
Vin
cen
t’s
Ho
spit
al,
Su
wo
n,
Rep
ub
lic
of
Ko
rea
822 Z.-X. Liu et al.
123
Dexmedetomidine vs other anti-shivering agents
Nineteen studies,15,24,33-45,47-49 involving 1,063 patients,
compared the efficacy of dexmedetomidine with other drugs
on postoperative shivering. No significant difference could
be found between dexmedetomidine and other agents,
including fentanyl, remifentanyl, meperidine, midazolam,
ketamine, tramadol, clonidine, buprenorphine, or
propacetamol, except propofol (pooled RR = 0.33; 95%
CI: 0.11 to 0.98) (Table 3). Nevertheless, one of the articles
comparing dexmedetomidine with propofol was assessed
and had a high risk of bias. Therefore, the superiority of
dexmedetomidine over propofol was not reliably assessed.
Our systematic review showed that dexmedetomidine
not only has an anti-shivering effect, but it may also
increase hemodynamic stability during a sudden increase in
stress (e.g., intubation, skin incision, extubation), provide a
deeper level of sedation, decrease PONV, and prolong
postoperative analgesia compared with different agents
(Table 4). Of importance, however, recovery and
orientation time (patients’ response to questions regarding
time, place, and person) after tracheal extubation was
prolonged with dexmedetomidine when compared with
certain other agents (Table 4).
Discussion
Postoperative shivering frequently causes uncomfortable
feelings and is complicated by such complications as
tachycardia, hypertension, and cardiac ischemia, which can
lead to severe consequences. There is still an urgent need to
find an effective way to prevent or control postoperative
shivering.
The present meta-analysis was undertaken to evaluate the
efficacy of dexmedetomidine in the prevention of
postoperative shivering. The main findings are as follows:
(1) Dexmedetomidine shows superiority over placebo in the
prevention of postoperative shivering, but not over other
anti-shivering agents. (2) The beneficial effect can be
achieved through both intravenous and epidural injection.
Nevertheless, the time interval between the last
administration and the end of surgery should be less than
two hours, which is about the half-life of dexmedetomidine.
(3) While a 1.0 lg�kg-1 bolus dose is the most commonlyused in the published articles, a 0.5 lg�kg-1 bolus infusioncan still have a preventive effect. (4) Physicians should be
cautious about the side effects of dexmedetomidine, such as
sedation, bradycardia, hypotension, and dry mouth.
The anti-shivering effect of dexmedetomidine may be
mediated primarily by the a2b-drenoceptor, in the hypotha-lamus. Dexmedetomidine suppresses the spontaneous firing
rate of neurons, decreases the central thermosensitivity,14Fig. 2 Summary of the risk of bias of the included studies
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for postoperative shivering 823
123
and finally reduces the vasoconstriction and shivering
thresholds.50
Several elements for the clinical use of dexmedetomidine
should be considered. Kim et al.19 recommended the
minimum effective dose of 0.75 lg�kg-1 for adults.Furthermore, Bozgeyik et al.24 did not find any difference
between 0.5 lg�kg-1 dexmedetomidine and placebo;however, this investigation was hampered by a relatively
small sample size (30 patients per group). Based on the data of
relevant trials, we found that 0.5 lg�kg-1 dexmedetomidinewas sufficiently effective to prevent postoperative shivering.
Our finding that epidural dexmedetomidine, not spinal, is an
Table 2 Incidence of various side effects of dexmedetomidine vs placebo
Side effects Number of studies Number shivering/total number of patients RR (95%CI) References
Dexmedetomidine Placebo
Sedation 5 104/170 35/170 2.94 (2.18 to 3.98) 13,14,22,28,31
Bradycardia 9 52/252 21/253 2.39 (1.54 to 3.72) 17,20,23,26-28,30-32
Hypotension 7 70/198 52/199 1.35 (1.04 to 1.75) 20,23,26-28,30,32
Dry mouth 3 21/105 2/105 7.33 (2.28 to 23.58) 14,22,23
CI = confidence interval; RR = risk ratio
Fig. 3 Results of subgroup analysis of the incidence of postoperative shivering by anesthesia types
824 Z.-X. Liu et al.
123
available option for anti-shivering might cause confusion,
since subarachnoid administration has always been
considered a faster and more effective approach compared
with the epidural route. We speculate that the injected dose
may be responsible. Spinal administration of 4-5 lg ofdexmedetomidine compared with epidural administration of
1.0 lg�kg-1 may not be enough to activate the receptorsinhibiting shivering.28
Fig. 4 Results of subgroup analysis of the incidence of postoperative shivering by the A-E intervals (defined as the time interval from the lastadministration to the end of the operation)
Fig. 5 Results of subgroup analysis of the incidence of postoperative shivering by doses of intravenous dexmedetomidine
Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for postoperative shivering 825
123
Despite its analgesic, sedative, antiemetic, and anti-
shivering properties, dexmedetomidine increased the risk of
these side effects. Somnolence, one of the most dangerous
complications, although rare, has been reported resulting
from an overdose of dexmedetomidine.51 Moreover, the
price of dexmedetomidine is considerably higher than other
drugs. Consequently, we do not recommend the use of
dexmedetomidine solely for the purpose of preventing
postoperative shivering.
A previous meta-analysis1 suggested an inferior role of
dexmedetomidine compared with some ‘‘more efficacious
agents’’ like meperidine, tramadol and nefopam.
Nevertheless, the results of the analysis are inconclusive,
as there were only two trials involving dexmedetomidine
with just 160 patients, and there was no direct comparison
between dexmedetomidine and the other agents. In contrast,
we included 39 articles, adopted a wide range of clinically
relevant outcome variables, and focused on direct
comparison in order to reach a solid conclusion.
This is a novel meta-analysis regarding the use of
dexmedetomidine for anti-shivering and an evaluation of
the factors that might influence its effectiveness. Most of
the included trials were well designed and reported with
low risk of bias. Moreover, we compared dexmedetomidine
directly with other anti-shivering agents and excluded
studies with a high risk of bias through sensitivity analysis.
All of these strategies enhanced the reliability of our
conclusion. Nevertheless, this meta-analysis has several
limitations. First, only eight trials3,21-23,35,37,44,47 reported
the source of their funding; and therefore, we did not know
Fig. 6 Results of subgroup analysis of the incidence of postoperative shivering by routes of dexmedetomidine administration
826 Z.-X. Liu et al.
123
whether the other trials were supported by industry, which
could make the design prone to show the drug in its best
light. Second, body temperature was detected by various
techniques throughout the literature and we failed to
include this as an evaluation item.
In conclusion, the present meta-analysis indicated that
the administration of dexmedetomidine may prevent the
incidence of postoperative shivering, although there was no
difference compared with other anti-shivering drugs, such
as fentanyl, meperidine, tramadol, and clonidine. Our
results provided evidence to extend the clinical value of
dexmedetomidine beyond its routine usage for sedation and
analgesia. Nevertheless, due to its relatively high price and
potential side effects, we do not recommend that
anesthesiologists or perioperative medical staff use
dexmedetomidine solely for the purpose of preventing
postoperative shivering.
Declaration of conflict of interest The authors declare no financialinterests relating to patents or shareholdings in corporations involved
in the medical market.
Funding The study was supported by the Shanghai Chen-Guangprogram (10CG40), Shanghai Health Bureau (XYQ2011022),
National Natural Science Foundation of China (30772092), and
Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (14ZR1413700).
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Dexmedetomidine Control
Fentanyl 4 8/115 16/115 0.52 (0.25 to 1.07) 33-36
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Heart rate
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Propacetamol - Lower48 - - - - -
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Efficacy of dexmedetomidine on postoperative shivering: a meta-analysis of clinical trialsEfficacité de la dexmédétomidine pour contrôler les frissons postopératoires: une méta-analyse d’études cliniquesAbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusions
RésuméObjectifMéthodeRésultatsConclusion
MethodsSearch strategyStudy selection and data retrievalQualitative assessmentStatistical analysis
ResultsStudy selectionStudy characteristicThe methodological quality of the included studiesResults of the meta-analysisDexmedetomidine versus placeboTypes of anesthesiaThe A-E intervalDose of dexmedetomidineRoutes of administration
Dexmedetomidine vs other anti-shivering agents
DiscussionReferences